Hands on: Zune HD gets new games, now with 3D and actual fun

Microsoft releases new apps and games for the Zune HD, including some 3D games …

Six new games, several of them in 3D, have arrived on the Zune Marketplace—and they're meant to show off the power of the Zune HD's NVIDIA-built Tegra processor. They do that well enough, but even better than the graphics is the fact that these games, unlike the first batch, have some actual replay value. In other words, they're fun.

The same couldn't be said of the first round of Zune HD apps, which featured nearly unbelievable load times, simple 2D graphics, and an unfortunate tendency to make the eyes glaze over. They also came with unexpected "pre-roll" ads for products like the Kia Soul, but hey, they were free, right?

The ads live on in the new games, as does the free price tag. Microsoft also branched out here, farming out development to several outside game dev houses, and the results are excellent. Load times on all apps appear to have been shortened thanks to the recent Zune HD firmware upgrade, and Microsoft is even upfront about the ads this time around, mentioning them in its press release.

We spent some time with the new titles, and found that the Zune apps are at last worth using. Here are some initial impressions of the new titles.

Audiosurf Tilt

Audiosurf creates a rollercoaster ride from any song. Choose any song from your music collection and watch Audiosurf turn it into a unique roller coaster track for you to ride. The song you choose determines the shape, the speed, and the mood of each track. Tilt your Zune like a steering wheel to collect colored blocks and avoid speedbumps. Unlock more than 30 designs, each with its own special theme and color palette. We've played the PC version and it rules, so we're happy to see it on the Zune HD.

The gameplay is simple but relaxing; just make sure to select songs that are more Bon Jovi than Les Miserables Broadway Cast Recording (not that we, err, tried those two).

The accelerometer hasn't been used much on the Zune HD. It impacts the main navigation UI slightly (so slightly that I didn't notice it for days) and is used in the Web browser, where it flips the screen flawlessly. The new games generally use it as a control mechanism, and it really comes into its own in steering-based titles like Audiosurf. It's quite responsive and generates few of those "I didn't do that!" moments.

Checkers

It's checkers—but wow, what a beautiful game of checkers. Set in an outdoor park, the game is simple to play but puts the bright OLED screen on the Zune HD to good use. I whipped the computer on the "normal" setting, and I haven't played the game for more than a decade, so the difficulty level on this one isn't cranked up too high.

Lucky Lanes Bowling

Bowl in different game modes: exhibition, blackjack, golf. Play in five different bowling alleys with unique themes, all with the swipe of a finger. Choose from twenty different bowlers and twenty-two different ball styles. Play against the computer or play with up to four friends.

This one feels like it came right off the Wii; the bowlers even resemble the Mii avatars from that console. Bowling is controlled by touch, with a finger used to position the ball horizontally along the lane line, then a flick used to direct the ball and give it some spin. My first throw was a strike, but it was difficult to repeat, and I ended with a modest 144.

The best thing that can be said about the game is that when it ended, I wanted to play again.

Piano

Play your own tune, or play along with your favorite music on this electronic piano. This one is more of a toy than a game, and it's hard to know why it was included. Perhaps as a multitouch demo (you can play chords on the keyboard)?

Project Gotham Racing: Ferrari Edition

Tear through the streets of London, Tokyo, and New York in the Ferrari of your choice using multitouch controls and the accelerometer. This one should look familiar.

It's easily the most entertaining and graphically impressive of the new titles. Your car (license plate: ZUNE) is controlled by touching the brake and accelerator pedals, located at the bottom of the screen, and steering relies on tilt. For a free app, this is certainly impressive, though it does feature a bit of load time before you can get into the action.

Vans Sk8: Pool Service

"From the Admiral to the old abandoned rec center pool, Bucky Lasek and Omar Hassan know a good bowl to skate," says Microsoft. "Hit the pools and put these Vans skaters to the test with all the tricks in their bag and achieve hero status once you unlock their pro model skateboards."

Yes, that's right, you skate in a bunch of empty concrete swimming pools. The accelerometer is used to steer your skateboarder while multitouch gestures enable him to do tricks. The graphics look good, though there's not a lot of scenery to be enjoyed when you're staring into a concrete bowl.

The game also features some less-than-family-friendly lyrics. The first time I played, the game served up the song "B Girls" by Penuckle, which describes a young woman who looks like an "exotic dancer" and has "breasts that hang like moose heads with antlers."

While the new apps are certainly worth the free download, be aware that doing the firmware upgrade on my player resulted in an error that essentially "bricked" the device, putting it into a non-functional recovery mode. Four more attempts to install the new firmware failed. Inexplicably, on the fifth attempt, everything worked just fine.